Minister De Sutter fires PS and wants to address Bpost’s “build errors” with a new action plan

The minister acknowledges that the relationship between politics – and thus the entire government – and Bpost is distorted. She described her own authority, which she also called a “constructive error”: “The Bpost Guardianship Minister is empowered for nothing, but responsible for everything.” It claims that it does not have the tools to properly perform its task.

Since the postal company’s privatization, nothing has changed in the relationship between the government and Bpost. The connections and contracts have not changed, though Bpost is now a listed company that is only 51% owned by the government. For De Sutter, this is the root of the problems that are emerging now: “We have opened the lid and now we see what is emerging. Now we have to look to a different future.”

De Sutter announced that the government was therefore working on a plan of action. Primarily, it should have its own postal experts within the government department, so that the government does not have to call on Bpost itself to gain expertise through secondment. It also calls for, among other things, the creation of an independent cell that monitors contracts between the government and Bpost, something that is not happening at the moment. In addition, the BIPT watchdog is strengthening and intends to transfer all Bpost shares to the federal investment company FPIM.